Page 3730 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 17 October 1990
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I do not expect to see anything happening down there quickly, because of the complexities of the plan in question, and I can only reassert, Mr Stefaniak, that I presume that if our officials are refraining from discussing the matter with prospective developers it is the proper and judicious approach for them to take under the present circumstances.
School Closures
MR MOORE: My question is also to the Chief Minister and it concerns the matter of planning. Chief Minister, earlier today you said that you took all the opinions of the Interim Territory Planning Authority into account, but last night it was made quite clear that your decision to close schools was taken before any advice was given to your Government by the ITPA. What you took into account was advice after you had taken the decision. Do you consider it good government to seek advice after you have made decisions that are critical to the education community and are critical in planning terms?
MR KAINE: Mr Moore is doing a bit of hairsplitting, Mr Speaker, and I suggest that he go and reread the transcript of what happened in the Estimates Committee last night, because the question, as put to me last night, had to do with the general question of the planning authority's advice and involvement in the decision to close schools. My recollection is that I said that the Government had generally considered the question of how it might deal with the education budget and the opportunities that were open to it to reduce expenditure in that area.
One of the propositions was that some schools should be closed. The number and which schools would be affected were not specified at that stage. The input from the Interim Territory Planning Authority was sought once we proceeded to the point of considering specific schools for closure. I do not know how else you would do it, other than just firing a shotgun and asking the Interim Territory Planning Authority to venture an opinion on every school in the ACT against the event that we might have considered every one of them for closure.
Mr Moore, in all fairness I think that you are trying to lead me to say something today which I did not say last night in the Estimates Committee and which I have no intention of saying.
MR MOORE: I have a supplementary question, Mr Speaker. I seek clarification on that point, Chief Minister. You did not take advice in terms of the general concept as to the planning ramifications of the closure of schools before you announced the Government's intention to close up to 25 schools. That is how I understood what you said last night.
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